Rosie O’Donnell has opened up about the huge fortune she had built by the time she walked away from The Rosie O’Donnell Show in 2002.
Her daytime talk show first launched on June 10, 1996, and ran for six seasons before ending in 2002. The program became a major ratings success, helped launch O’Donnell into even wider mainstream fame, and featured a steady stream of high-profile guests throughout its run.
During that run, O’Donnell spoke with a long list of major stars, including Barbra Streisand and Keanu Reeves, while building a loyal audience in the process.
Although many viewers were disappointed to see the series come to an end, O’Donnell later explained to Page Six that the decision came after realizing she had already accumulated $100 million.
“When I heard that [number], I thought, ‘OK, now I’m done,” O’Donnell recalled. “And everyone was like, ‘Why are you leaving?’” she told the outlet.
The Now and Then actor said she felt she had enough to support the people in her life, contribute to philanthropy, and even help strangers. More importantly, she wanted to be present for her children and avoid missing everyday moments like school plays and softball games.
O’Donnell is the mother of five children: Parker, Chelsea, Blake, Vivienne and Clay.
She also said Warner Brothers allegedly offered her another $100 million to continue the show for two additional years, but she turned it down, a move that reportedly stunned executives.
According to O’Donnell, she told them that if she believed she needed more money than she already had, then ‘something would be wrong with her’.
“I don’t get how people only measure their life in money, not what they can do for other people,” she said.
Several years after ending her own show, O’Donnell joined The View as a co-host in 2006. She then chose not to renew her contract with the ABC program in 2007.
After spending seven years away from the panel, she returned in 2014 for the program’s 18th season.
Her second stint was short-lived, and in 2015 she departed again following her split from wife Michelle Rounds, who died in 2017.
Addressing viewers in a farewell video, O’Donnell said:
“The truth is, I had a heart attack two years ago and stress is very bad for a heart attack survivor.
“I’m minimizing my stress by leaving ‘The View.’ The stress I’m having at home is not easily as remediable…. It’s hard, marriages are complicated and I’ve got five kids… There’s lots of stuff going on at home.”
O’Donnell had suffered a major heart attack in 2012 when she was 50 years old. She later underwent an operation that involved having a stent inserted.